Strings for Stewart Park features an eclectic blend of fiddle and violin music with guitar, mandolin and bass accompaniment. Performers include Cornell's Ariana Kim, Ithaca College's Susan Waterbury, and Ithaca musicians Judy Hyman, Tim Ball, Dave Davies, and Rick Manning. Will Russell will be doing the sound engineering and La Tourelle will host this special event.

The concert supports Friends of Stewart Park and its plans to recreate the historic performance venue in Stewart Park between the Picnic 'Large' Pavilion and the Wharton Studio/Park Maintenance Building. In the early days of Renwick Park and Stewart Park there was a beautiful bandshell in this location that hosted well-attended, nightly summer concerts, often featuring the renowned Paddy Conway Orchestra. FSP would like to create this Renwick Performance Plaza to replace the existing asphalt parking lot along with an Overlook of Cayuga Lake. Join us for the fun fiddle cabaret and support the restoration of your lakefront gem - Stewart Park.

Building A Playground for All

Phase I is open!

In mid-September, The Friends of Stewart Park, a local nonprofit committed to revitalizing Stewart Park, held a Community Build of the area’s first Accessible Playground. Over six days, twelve hours a day, and in three shifts a day, over 900 volunteers and 45 organizations worked alongside playground design firm Play by Design to create the pre-school sections of a new playground for children of all abilities. This beautifully-designed inclusive playground will dramatically enhance Stewart Park as a regional destination for families, individuals, children of all ages, and visitors. Learn More.

Phase II coming Spring/Summer 2019

Phase II of the playground build will feature a large, school-age structure, a long, gently-sloped berm that connects to the play structure at different elevations, culminating at the Cayuga Lake Overlook, a new Splash Pad, new winterized and accessible bathrooms in their own attractive building adjacent to the Splash Pad and a protective cover for the Carousel. Learn More.

Design and Accessibility

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to the playground Campaign

Grant Received for Cascadilla Boathouse Restoration

Friends of Stewart Park is delighted that Historic Ithaca was awarded a $367,000 grant to restore the exterior of the Cascadilla Boathouse, with the funds going to the City of Ithaca to Complete the Project.

The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation/Historic Preservation Development program announced the funds in December as part of the state's Regional Economic Development Initiative.

FSP worked with Historic Ithaca to submit grant application to restore Cascadilla Boathouse, a local landmark that has been in use since 1896 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

“This is an important step forward for restoring the boathouse and for our broader park revitalization effort,” said Rick Manning, executive director of the Friends of Stewart Park.

The Ithaca Journal quotes Tim Logue, City Engineer, in saying,

“With this grant and the partnership with Historic Ithaca, our community will be able to nearly quadruple what the city was able to do alone. Also, the partnership with Historic Ithaca will relieve the burden on city staff for grant administration and ensure that the work is done with best practices in historic preservation. The building is a true treasure on the waterfront, and this investment is truly needed for the next generation.”

Wharton Studio Museum and Park Visitor Center project gets grant

October 18,2018 was an exciting day for Wharton Studio Museum and Friends of Stewart Park as New York State Senator Tom O'Mara presented WSM Executive Director and Co-Founder Diana Riesman (Riesman is also chair of FSP), and Rick Manning, FSP Executive Director, with a big ‘check’ valued at $450,000 in support of developing the Wharton Studio Museum and Park Visitor Center along the lakefront and Waterfront Trail in Stewart Park! This grant from NYS will help convert the lake-facing side of the historic studio building into a Museum and Visitor Center, encompassing a gallery for exhibits on Ithaca's movie history, as well as park cultural and natural history. In addition an outdoor terrace will be developed with lake views and the existing public bathrooms will be renovated and winterized. The Wharton Studio Museum and Park Visitor Center is a cornerstone project in the revitalization of the park's Historic Core.

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